The fishermen in Taiji released 70 bottlenose dolphins in September, and our team from Save Japan Dolphins was there to film it – you will likely see this footage soon. The fishermen are still killing pilot whales (apparently reasoning that they can get away with killing “whales,” but not “dolphins”). I have been telling the international media over and over again: “Pilot whales ARE dolphins, and they have the highest levels of mercury of any species tested.”
We have accomplished much, but we still have a long way to go.
Photo © Mark J. Palmer
Join Me in TAIJI
Next week, on October 21st, one of the most important milestones will take place in our campaign: The Cove movie will be screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Director Louie Psihoyos and some of our friends from Hollywood are planning to attend.
As you know, the film festival originally did not want to screen The Cove, despite the theme of the festival being the environment. (They even are boasting of a green carpet, instead of a red carpet!) But international pressure, including the efforts of comedian Ben Stiller and others, changed their collective minds. The Cove was added at the last moment, but for a screening at 10:30 AM on a Tuesday – hardly an auspicious time, especially in Japan where virtually everyone has a very rigid work schedule.
But, thanks to your help and the help of our grassroots friends in Japan, I’m pleased to say that the screening is now sold out!
(However, we have just learned that the Taiji fishermen are calling the theater and the Film Festival demanding that the screening be canceled. They may mount a protest outside the theater or even try to block the entrance.)
Working together, we can indeed make monumental changes. I believed that when I first started this campaign with the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition in 2003, and I believe it now.
Here’s one gesture I really appreciated: The students of Darien School in Connecticut held a bake sale to help the dolphins, donating $309 (that’s a lot of brownies!) to our Save Japan Dolphins campaign. They want to help educate and mobilize high school students across the country for the dolphins. This is the kind of grassroots dedication that is dearest to my heart.
I’ve received e-mails from around the world: Singapore, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Poland, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, and more.
We believe the Tokyo screening of The Cove, which is being dubbed into Japanese by Louie and the Oceanic Preservation Society crew, will be a major step in getting the word out in Japan about mercury poisoning and the slaughter of dolphins and whales.
Your support has been key to our efforts, and I hope you take pride in our small but important accomplishments we have made so far to stop the slaughter. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are great! I really appreciate all the e-mails and the donations.
Ric O'Barry
Campaign Director
Save Japan Dolphins Coalition
P.S. our progress would be entirely impossible without the actions and donations that you are making.
Click to Donate
ACT NOW!
Tell Broome Shire not to Back Down! Until recently, Broome, Australia was the sister-city of Taiji, Japan. Broome cut ties with the remote fishing village after seeing the feature documentary The Cove, which exposed Taiji’s role in the yearly slaughter of more than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises off the shores of Japan. Broome took a courageous stand.
Now, under intense pressure from the Japanese government, the Shire Council of Broome is considering reversing its position. Don't let them do it!
Our sources indicate that the suspension is a key reason why the dolphin kills have been halted. If the Shire Council reverses, the killing is likely to resume. We need your help today!
Sign the Petition: Our Facebook petition is now up to 350,000 sign-ons. We are pushing for 1 million signatures by December 1st. Please sign it, and get your family, friends and neighbors to sign it too!
If you are in Europe, The Cove movie opens in many theaters on October 23rd. The DVD is scheduled to be released in the US in December.
VISIT OUR SUPPORTERS ONLINE!
Help the Dolphins: Ecojoia, run by the dynamic sister/brother team of Julia and Ry Hawley, is producing our official Save Japan Dolphins campaign t-shirts, hats and jewelry. They are generously sharing their profits with our campaign. Please visit their website: ecojoia.com.
Wear Fine Art for Dolphins: A lovely lady, diver and jewelry designer, Temple St. Clair is offering beautiful gold dolphin pendants and rings, with 40% of the sales going to support Save Japan Dolphins. Visit her website at: templestclair.com.
LEARN MORE
Australia 60 Minutes recently joined Ric in Taiji.
Ric’s Facebook Chat: At the end of his recent trip to Taiji, Ric conducted a Facebook chat. You can hear his answers to many of your questions.
Campaign in the UK: The UK Telegraph ran a feature story in their magazine about The Cove movie and our campaign. Author Mick Brown traveled with Ric and the Save Japan Dolphins team to Taiji.
Back Issues:
The Cove Exposed, issue #4 - 9/22/09
The Cove Exposed, issue #3 - 9/1/09
The Cove Exposed, issue #2 - 8/31/09
The Cove Exposed, issue #1 - 8/25/09
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